In force since 2008, the Council of Europe Convention on action against trafficking in human beings requires states to identify and support trafficking victims, protect them from further harm and ensure they are treated with dignity. To support this, a capacity-building activity brought together judges, prosecutors, lawyers, and civil society representatives to enhance their knowledge on protecting the rights of human trafficking victims. Organised by the EU and Council of Europe joint action “Strengthening anti-trafficking action in North Macedonia”, in co-operation with the Academy for Judges and Prosecutors of North Macedonia, the event focused on the European Court of Human Rights' case-law and the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings. This activity aimed to equip participants with the necessary expertise and skills to treat trafficking victims in accordance with European anti-trafficking standards.
“The victim is not merely a means of evidence - it is the centre of the entire proceeding. The Convention on action against human trafficking marked a turning point in the treatment of victims of trafficking, shifting the paradigm from the exclusive focus on the criminal justice response to the victim-centred approach”, said Biljana LUBAROVSKA, an independent expert from GRETA.
Participants were also trained on the European Convention of Human Rights and on the European Court case-law in the human trafficking context. They worked on case scenarios and discussed the essential elements for establishing the existence of human trafficking and a violation of Article 4 of the European Convention on Human Rights, prohibiting slavery and forced labour. Identification of foreign trafficking victims was also a key topic of discussion. Only when victims are identified, they can receive healthcare, food, clothing, psycho-social care and accommodation they are entitled to. Resocialisation and reintegration of trafficking victims were also positive state obligations, stemming from the European Convention on Human Rights.
On the margins of the event, the participants engaged in bilateral meetings, sharing their experience with human trafficking cases, in view of advancing the rights of the trafficking victims and strengthening the criminal justice response.
This activity is organised in the framework of the “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye ”, funded by EU and Council of Europe, and implemented by Council of Europe.
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